The "Barbarians of the Storm" Finale is Close
...the roadmap ahead has been shortened and altered
As I have previously discussed on this Substack and X, the rough plan for the Barbarians of the Storm series was about 15 books or so. This would cover the 7ish saga books, as well as all anthologies and Side Quest books directly tied to it. However, as I was writing An Axe to Eat the Gods (Book IV), the 7th overall, I decided to merge two of the planned saga books into one while also altering a major plot point. This is also why An Axe to Eat the Gods became so beefy for a BotS book.
So, as of right now, I have three books planned, bringing the final count of the “saga era” to an end. Those books are:
a Side Quest book featuring Fenrik in 1992 Japan, which leads to a rescue mission that sends him into Sulfur Hell - a peek of this event was seen in the epilogue of the main story in A Crown of Furious Color
Barbarians of the Storm - Book V
Barbarians of the Storm - Book VI (the likely finale)
This doesn’t mean that the other books I wanted to do won’t happen. They will likely come later. Some of those books are:
a Side Quest book featuring Erzulyn
a Side Quest book featuring Vasilia and Cimmoarid
the long talked about Frank Murdock book(s) that will focus on his backstory
anthology book(s) for overdue short stories and other shorts I’d like to tell
a post-saga “old man” Fenrik series, likely a trilogy of books bigger than my typical paperback pulp format and more serious in tone
The reason for these changes are due to the fact that I would like to wrap the series up in a year or so. Also, there are many other things I want to write. The reason why I don’t mix it up and write new stories between the BotS ones is because I have a hard time managing my focus and diverting my attention away, could make it really hard to return. I would likely become hyper-focused on the new project and all the avenues it could venture down.
Also, I’ve seen what has happened with authors much more famous than me, as I am not remotely famous, and I plan to deliver what I set out to do. I do not want to leave the few fans of the series hanging for a resolution for years (or a decade-plus), as one very prolific writer has done to his loyal fanbase. Other writers have as well, but it’s that big one that stings for millions of readers out there.
Additionally, I put these things out so fast, according to what people tell me, that it is hard to get any meaningful feedback. Apparently, readers have a hard time keeping up and while many have read and reviewed the first (and in my opinion the worst) book, it’s been hard trying to get any real feedback on the books after it. Despite the mostly positive responses to Book I and decent sales beyond it, I have no idea if the majority of readers enjoy the series beyond the first helping of the feast.
That being said, it’s hard to learn from the criticism when there barely is any. It’s tough spending so much time on something, two-plus years and 7 books at this point, and to not know if it resonates with an audience. Granted, I write these books for myself primarily but I also want to improve before venturing into new things.
I guess that’s it. This was longer than I thought it would be. But I wanted to explain the changes that are coming for those who are still invested in the series, 7 books deep.